AFTERNOON SNATCH IS AN UNAPOLOGETICALLY QUEER WEB COMEDY ABOUT HEARTBREAK AND THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY BROUGHT TO YOU BY KAYLA GINSBURG AND RUBY WESTERN.

Starring: Ruby Western, Pamela Davis, Sydney Germaine, and Rolo Rodriguez 

Annie, the humor editor at the local feminist rag— Snatch Magazine— is navigating her recent breakup with the help of her friends and coworkers at Snatch. She and her best friend Sky tumble from one cringe-worthy moment to the next, as Annie eventually crawls out of her self-indulgent spiral. Afternoon Snatch is an exquisitely messy romp celebrating the radical act of living and loving.

Episode One 

Episode Two 

Episode 3 

Episode 4

Episode 5 

Episode 6 

How did you come of age as an artist? How did you come to your current practice?

Kayla Ginsburg: I’ve always loved film. I minored in college and after moving (back) to Chicago, I discovered the dope independent film world that thrives here. That, and falling in love with the glitter beauty of the Chicago queer community funneled my dreams towards queer filmmaking. Filmmaking has always been a medium to do my favorite things: collaborate and portray the beauty/humor/complexity of sexuality and community. But basically my current practice is waking up every morning and asking myself, “What the eff am I DOING right now?” and never having an answer.

Ruby Western: I think I’m coming of age right now. That thing when you’re 14 years old and you’re totally excited about what you’re doing one minute and then completely horrified by it the next? Yeah, that. I have always loved writing, acting, painting, singing. Since I could wield scissors, I’ve put together shows and made (invited?) family and friends (to) watch them. I’ve been tinkering with what stories I want to tell and the best way to get them across. I’m still working on that. What I know is that I always want to make people laugh, and I want to talk about love and queerness and tenderness and fucking. And part of this coming of age for me is listening more and supporting other people in telling their stories.

What was the inspiration for your Open TV project?

It started about three years ago. We knew we wanted to make a web series together—Ruby had just been through a big breakup and Kayla had just ended a year-long relationship with her senior thesis on the history of lesbian sex magazines. Ruby started asking herself how she could get over heartbreak and Kayla started asking herself what a lesbian feminist magazine would look like today, so when we started throwing around ideas it just came together: a breakup story set at a fictional feminist periodical-- Snatch Magazine.

What’s next for you or your series?

Kayla Ginsburg: Afternoon Snatch is about to COME OUT [watch all of Afternoon Snatch] which is so exciting and I am just as proud as my mama was when I came out. I’m cooking up a couple short dance films with my partnerlove Kaitlin Webster, but mostly I am starting a totally different venture with my little sister called The Radical Stitchery.  We embroider and sew things and make journals—basically we’re trying to change the world one stitch at a time. Different medium, same political project as Afternoon Snatch: to portray the queer-feminist- radical-respectful- sometimes-angry- but- mostly-fierce- and-lovely world we want to see.

I created Open TV Tonight to queer the late night talk show. Late night ranks among the least diverse hours of TV, even though late night programming tends to be the "edgiest" in TV history. Instead of promoting the latest macho blockbuster to be sold internationally I wanted to use the format of the talk show to showcase Chicago's queer artists. Instead of Jimmy Fallon, you got me, a black queer academic who could never book our president as a guest. Instead of a live band, we had Hijo Pródijo, who has DJ'ed some of the dopest queer events in the city. Having a spot on a free night at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago helped us attract our biggest audience at the time, around 200 people -- though we would soon outdo that with the premieres of the shows we previewed, Brujos, Brown Girls, and Afternoon Snatch. The event was a roaring success. So many people came up to me afterward to tell me how invigorating it was to be in a space that artistically represented the least powerful but most brilliant artists and communities 10 days after the inauguration.   

In this video you'll see interviews with the teams behind Open TV (beta)'s most ambitious series to date. These shows have already developed large passionate fan bases and I guarantee you will see more of these artists in the future! Check it out:

Artists // Kayla Ginsburg, Ruby Western, Hannah Welever, Minita Gandhi, Ricardo Gamboa, Reshmi Hazra Rustebakke Videography // Bradley Murray Executive Producer // Aymar Jean Christian Producer & Set Designer // Elijah McKinnon Assistant Producer // Chris Walker Assistant Editor // Sean Magner Production Assistant // Carolina Poveda Furnishing // Humboldt House